The President of Samoa’s Law society is concerned about human rights violations if a register of sex offenders is set up.

A Supreme Court Judge says this will help identify repeat offenders.

But Raymond Schuster says given Samoa’s small population size, once a person’s name is publicised, everyone will know who it is, where they live, and their family members.

And he says people related to the offender could suffer.

“In many cases in Samoan families where, in a village community setting, where the village council makes a decision on what happens in a village, I’m well aware of many cases where one offender has committed an act, but the whole family has been banished. So certainly in a human rights perspective, the tainting also that of the innocent parties, is one that certainly needs to be considered.”